Gen. Raúl Castro Ruz
Jose Ramon Machado Ventura is the Secretariat of Cuba's Political Bureau and is one of Cuba's Vice Presidents. He is also largely seen as Raul Castro's right-hand man. Born in 1930, Machado is known in Cuba as a "historicos" or a member of the original Cuban Revolution against the Batista government. Machado was trained as a physician and cared for members of Castro's rebel army. Machado's position of Secretariat charges him with integrating socialist ideology into the every day affairs of Cuba's education programs. This position coupled with his historical involvement in the party means that he is known within Cuba but is often overlooked by the foreign press.
Following Fidel Castro's 1 August, 2006 ceding of power to his brother Raul, Fidel granted Machado his traditional power as the leader for all national and international education projects. This was seen by many as an effort to secure the influence of the old guard in any power sharing arrangement in a post-Fidel Cuba.
